Saint Veredemus (also ''Veredemius''; was an 8th-century
hermit
A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions.
Description
In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Chr ...
who become
bishop of Avignon
The Archdiocese of Avignon (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Avenionensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse d'Avignon'') is a Latin archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. The diocese exercises jurisdiction over the territory embraced by the department ...
around 700 AD. According to tradition, he was of
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
origin and was born around 640 AD.
Veredemus settled at
Gaul
Gaul () was a region of Western Europe first clearly described by the Roman people, Romans, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and parts of Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, and Northern Italy. It covered an area of . Ac ...
as a hermit, in the valley of the
Durance
The Durance (; ''Durença'' in the Occitan classical norm or ''Durènço'' in the Mistralian norm) is a major river in Southeastern France. A left tributary of the Rhône, it is long. Its drainage basin is . A
grotto
A grotto or grot is a natural or artificial cave or covered recess.
Naturally occurring grottoes are often small caves near water that are usually flooded or often flooded at high tide.
Sometimes, artificial grottoes are used as garden fea ...
associated with Veredemus is located at the Gorge du Gardon. He was a companion of
Saint Giles
Saint Giles (, , , , ; 650 - 710), also known as Giles the Hermit, was a hermit or monk active in the lower Rhône most likely in the 7th century. Revered as a saint, his cult became widely diffused but his hagiography is mostly legendary. A ...
and at the death of Saint Agricola of Avignon was chosen as bishop of Avignon. He served as bishop until around 720 AD.
Veneration
Veredemus' hermitage at the gorges of Gardon is the oldest
Christian
A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
structure in lower
Languedoc
The Province of Languedoc (, , ; ) is a former province of France.
Most of its territory is now contained in the modern-day region of Occitanie in Southern France. Its capital city was Toulouse. It had an area of approximately .
History
...
, dating from 8th century AD. Its
apse
In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical Vault (architecture), vault or semi-dome, also known as an ' ...
is decorated with 8th-century paintings.
Veredemus is venerated at
Cavaillon
Cavaillon (; ) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of Southeastern France.
Carpentras
Carpentras (, formerly ; Provençal dialect, Provençal Occitan language, Occitan: ''Carpentràs'' in classical norm or ''Carpentras'' in Mistralian norm; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Vaucluse Departments of France, department in the ...
, and a ''fête Saint-Vérédème'' is celebrated at
Eyguières
Eyguières (; ) is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France.
Population
See also
* Alpilles
* Communes of the Bouches-du-Rhône department
The following is a list of the 119 communes of the Bouches-du-Rhône d ...
. Until the 1960s, the inhabitants of Sanilhac would make the pilgrimage to Veredemus’ grotto on the Gardon to pray for abundant rain. He was the
patron saint
A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...
of the shepherds of the plains of
Crau
The Crau is the ancient confluence of the Durance and Rhône, and constitutes their vast flat alluvial fan.
Agriculture
The Crau is composed of two different parts:
The dry Crau is in the south, and has been used as pasture from Roman times. T ...